Dry conditions sparking many Berks brush fires

The mild winter may have been a welcome sight for many, but the lack of precipitation left Berks County in a high fire danger zone.

With strong winds in the past week, brush fires have been springing up all over the county.

The dry conditions have some townships, especially those that have seen the worst fires thus far, under burn bans.

"People are looking at everything and think, 'Oh it's fine, we've had rain,' but the ground is pretty dry and the wind doesn't help it," Alsace Manor Fire Company Chief Wendy Becker said.

Becker and her crew spent about nine hours Wednesday battling a huge brush fire in a wooded area off Skyline Drive that required several aerial water drops.

When she got back at midnight, Becker immediately put a burn ban into effect.

Other townships, such as Exeter, that have been fortunate thus far and only had small, containable brush fires flare up, are also taking precautions.

Exeter Township Fire Department Chief Robert F. Jordan said a burn ban has been up in the township for about two weeks because of the dry conditions.

"The unusually warm winter we had, with the lack of snow and rain, are all contributing factors," Jordan said. "What's making it worse now is the extremely windy conditions. That's just compounding the effects of the dehumidity and dry conditions."

His crews helped out with the brush fire at Kernsville Dam in Tilden Township on Saturday as well as Monday's huge fire near and in French Creek State Park in Union Township.

Firefighters battled the fire starting about noon. By 6 p.m. it had spread to Chester County and was still burning out of control late Monday.

The Oley Township supervisors approved an immediate burn ban Monday night during their meeting after the numerous fires reported in the county throughout the day.

Forecasts for today and Wednesday are for some showers, but Jordan said it won't do much to help.

"We need a good soaking rain right now to prevent a lot of these brush fires," Jordan said. "Naturally, any bit of rain will help, but we need a good couple days of soaking rain."

Even if it does quiet things down for a bit, Becker said she's keeping the burn ban in place until its obvious conditions are better.

"It's easier to keep it in affect then to play the game of maybe we'll get enough rain for a day or two of burning," she said.

Jordan advised that residents use discretion with not only campfires, but also with smoking and the use of dirt bikes.

However, many of the smaller brush fires are starting on their own as residents spruce up their flower beds. Mulch and potted plants can easily self-heat and start to burn without anything else igniting it.

Lower Alsace Fire Marshal Richard D. Gerhart Jr. said he's already had a potted plant ignite a fire that destroyed a back deck.

Gerhart hasn't put up a burn ban yet, but said he is seriously considering it.

"We have 27 burn permits out there right now and probably more than half are on Mount Penn," he said. "People just need to use common sense - if they do that, they'll be OK. The weather patterns right now are just perfect for this. Until it rains, we're stuck."